Self-stabtee and pump fob intebnal-combustion engines



H. W. HAMILTON.

SELF STARTER AND PUMP FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-28, I9I4.

1,1 96,106. Patented 29,1916.

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SELF STARTER AND PUMP FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES. APPLICATION FILED DEC-28.1914.

1,1 96,106. PatentedAug'. 29,1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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H. W. HAMILTON.

SELF STARTER AND PUMP FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.28. 1914.

1 1 96, 1 O6 Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

3 SHEETS -SHEET 3.

65 I7 6/ 62, e! D MJ/TNESSESI I [HMS/770E UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY W. HAMILTON, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO HAROLD TAYLOR AND ONE-THIRD TO SAMUEL B. SUTPHIN, BOTH. OF INDIAN- APOLIS, INDIANA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedAug. 29, 1916.

Application filed December 28, 1914. Serial No. 879,256.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY WV. IIAMILTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Starters and Pumps for Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to self-starters for internal combustion engines, the object being to provide in one structure a selfcontained apparatus which may be readily converted at will into either a motor or a pump, the latter being employed for supplying air under pressure to a container, which when supplied is introduced into the apparatus when the same is converted into a motor, for actuating the motor to start an engine or other purpose, the pump also if desired being capable of uses for other purposes. These objects are in the main attained by the mere opening and closing of an air passage controlled by an air distributing device in a very simple manner without the employment of intricate mechanisms or parts which may become impaired, and by which arrangement I obviate the neces sity of requiring a separate pump and a separate motor for the purposes stated, thus providing a comparatively inexpensive and eflicient single device capable of performing functions ordinarily requiring more than one device.

In the accompanying drawings,which are made a part hereof, Figure 1 is a plan of an automobile chassis, illustrating the application of my invention thereto; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of my improved combined motor and pump; Fig. 3 an end elevation thereof; Fig. A a detail sectional view on the dotted line 4 1 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 a detail sectional view of my improved air distributing device on the dotted line in Fig. 3; Fig. 6 a detail sectional view on the dotted line 66 in Fig. 5; Fig. 7 a detail sectional view on the dotted line 77 in Fig. 2; Fig. 8 a plan showing my apparatus connected with an engine, and Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view of the same arrangement.

My invention is applicable to any suitable form of air pumping apparatus, that shown for illustration comprising a series of cylinders, 5, 6, 7 and 8, in each of which is a piston, 9, having a rod, 10, connected to a crank-shaft, 11, said cylinders being sup ported in a hollow base, 12; but I desire to be understood that I may employ other apparatus for the purpose of a different design or arrangement according to the number of cylinders required for the particular work in view, such for instance as radially disposed pumps embodying a plurality of cylinders operated from a shaft or other mechanism and suitably arranged to receive my improvements. In the pumping apparatus selected to illustrate my lnvention I provide manually operated clutch members, 12", on shaft 11, associating the same with a drive-wheel, 13, which communicates through a silent chain drive, 14, or otherwise with the engine 12 for starting the same when the apparatus is converted into a motor, and each cylinder is provided with an air inlet, 15, at such a point in its length that the piston on its back stroke passes below such inlet whereby air is admitted which is compressed on the up-stroke. At the upper end of said cylinders I provide a water jacket, .17, for cooling the cylinders, and seat therein the spring-controlled valves, 19, 20, communicating with each other, and which are actuated by the air pressure from the piston in a manner so that the air will be forced upwardly around valve 19, which then opens valve 20 and enters the manifold, 21, common to all said valves, and discharges through pet-cock. 22, from which it may be conveyed by the duct, 23, to a supply tank, 24, or otherwise. Communicating with each of said cylinders is a pet-cock, 25, the valve of which is provided with an arm, 26, connected to a shifting rod, 27, to which the valve of pet-cock, 22, is also connected by arm 26' and which rod may lead to any suitable point or connections to be manually controlled so that all of said valves may be simultaneously manipulated by a simple operation.

At any suitable part of the apparatus I provide a casing, 30, which maybe secured thereto by bolts, 31, or otherwise, the rear side, 32, of said casing having ports, 33, 34:, 35, 36, with which ducts 37, 38, 39, 40,'communicate and lead to. the respective petcocks, 25, for a purpose to be hereinafter described. At the opposite side of said casing I provide an air conveying duct, 42, having a pipe, 41, which leads to the air supplying tank, 24, Fig. 1. In said casing, 30, an air distributing device 45 is pro vided, preferably disk-like in form, and having an air distributng slot, 46, of a length to regster at its opposite ends with two of the ports, as 33, 36, said distributer having a boss, 47, or other suitable means, by which it is connected to the shaft 11, that shown being a mortise-and-tenon joint, 48, as indicated in Fig. 5, the opposite side of said distributor being seated against the outer casing by a spring tension ball-bearng, 49, which maintains it from frictional contact with said casing and insures a free rotation thereof when operating. In said distributer I provide a recessed portion, 50, of substantially the form shown in Fig. 6, which acts as a compression relief or auxiliary exhaust for the escape of air when the apparatus is used as a motor.

In operating my improved device as a pump, clutch members 12" are thrown into engagement so that wheel 13 will be actuated by the engine 12 to rotate crank 11, the pet-cocks 25 having been closed by shifting rod 27, as indicated in Fig. 2, the pet-cock 22 communicating with manifold 21 (Fig. 7) being in open position. The pistons 9, being thus in operation, as will be readily understood, compress air which flows into manifold 21, through valves 19, 20, and thence through cook 22 and duct 23 to the air container 24, which latter when supplied as desired is cut off by means of valve 52, which valve may be controlled in any desired manner, so that air for the distributer 45, controlled by valve 51, will return from said tank through duct 41, as before explained, when employing the apparatus for a motor, which is accomplished by closing valve 22 and opening valves 25 by the shift ing rod 27 as described. While thus operating as a pump, distributer 45, being secured to shaft 11, rotates therewith as an idler, having no function to perform.

In use as a motor, with the distributor 45 in the position shown in Fig. 6, assuming the piston in cylinder 5 to be approximately one degree past top center, the duct 37 leading to the cylinder 5, through valve 25, is open, and the air coming through pipe 41 into duct 42 distributes itself through the slotted opening 46 which communicates with duct 37, and the air passes through pet-cock 25 into the head of cylinder 5, forcing the piston 9 downwardly. By the time the pis ton in cylinder 5 has moved downwardly through approximately one-half revolution of the crankshaft slot 46 will have registered with port 34 communicating with duct 38, causing a similar action to take place in cylinder 6. Concurrently with this operation the exhaust recess 50 in the distributor reaches its top center ready for the power stroke its port is closed as the distributer rotates, and consequently as the distributer is rotating through the action of shaft 11 this operation is continuously repeated in connection with all the pistons and the ports communicating therewith. By this operation the apparatus as a whole is converted into a motor, and, by throwing in clutch members 12", wheel 13 is rotated by the action of the crank-shaft, and as said wheel communicates with the engine as hereinbefore indicated said motor actuates the engine so that ignition of the fuel therein will take place in a proper manner to cause the engine to operate, after which the clutch can be disengaged and the service valve 51 manipulated to cut off the air supply from container 24, when the motor becomes idle until further required for starting or other purposes. While I have particularly pointed out the operation of the motor for starting purposes I desire it to be understood that it is applicable for other uses not enumerated, but as an example of its further use I may attach branch pipes 61, 62, 63, 64 to ducts, 37, 38, 39, 40, as indicated in Figs. 8 and 9, and lead such branches into the heads of the internal combustion engine cylinders, and by employing the proper gear ratio in the drive obtain the combined power of both the air motor and that derived from the engine itself for starting the latter by conveying air under pressure into said engine cylinders, Said branch pipes 61, 62, 63, 64 are connected to the engine by check valves 61, 62, 63, 64 respectively, said valves being opened by the air pressure acting thereupon and which pressure actuates the pistons downwardly when starting the engine, after which the said valves close said branch pipes, as the pistons are then operating normally under the influence of the explosive mixture.

By the arrangement thus described I produce in a unitary structure both a motor and a pump, which will be compact, readily applicable to vehicles and the like, simply operable, and quickly convertible from one device to the other, without changing the driving mechanism for either, which by a simply controlled clutch places the motor in condition for driving and the pump in con.-

dition to be operated to compress air, all by the rotation of a single shaft.

I claim as my invention:

1. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a unitary pump and motor structure having a plurality of cylinders, a shaft for operating said apparatus, means for conducting compressed air into said apparatus for operating the same as a motor, a plurality of valves interposed between said cylinders and said air conducting means, means connected with said valves for opening the same to admit compressed air therethrough when operating the apparatus as a motor and for closing said valves to exclude such air therefrom when operating said apparatus as a pump.

2. An apparatus of the character described including a plurality of cylinders, pistons therein, a crank shaft common to all of said pistons, rods connecting said pistons and shaft, an air distributer associated with said apparatus and connected with said shaft, an air conduit leading from said distributor to each of said cylinders, and valves interposed between said conduits and cylinders for controlling the discharge of air thereinto to actuate said pis tons and rotate said shaft.

8. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a plurality of cylinders each having a piston therein, a shaft, rods connecting said pistons and said shaft, a driving wheel on said shaft, a clutch mechanism for rotatively engaging said wheel to said shaft, valves associated with said cylinders to conduct compressed air thereinto when opened, means for simultaneously closing said valves, and means adjacent said valves and common to all of said cylinders for conveying compressed air therefrom.

4. In an apparatus of the character clescribed, a driving shaft, and an air distributer connected to said shaft including a slotted portion adapted to register with a conduit for conveying air thereinto and with a recessed portion for receiving air returned to said distributer from such conduit and directing the same to an outlet.

5. An apparatus of the character described, including a plurality of cylinders,

pistons therein, a crank shaft common to all of said pistons, rods connecting said pistons and shaft, valves associated with each of said cylinders for controlling the flow of compressed air thereinto, an air distributer for directing compressed air into said cylinders when said valves are open for actuat ing the device as a motor, means for simultaneously closing said valves to prevent the passage of air thereinto and by which said device is converted into a pump, and a manifold communicating with said cylinders for conveying compressed air created by said pump to an outlet.

6. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a self-contained pump and motor, means for converting the same into a pump for compressing air, means for converting said apparatus into a motor to be actuated by compresesed air, and means communicating with said motor and an engine for conveying compressed air there into.

7. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a plurality of cylinders, pistons therein, valves communicating with said cylinders to admit air thereinto, a valve associated therewith for discharging air therefrom, an air distributor communicating with said cylinders, and means for regulating said valves to convert said apparatus into a pump or a motor.

8. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a unitary pump and motor structure including a plurality of cylinders, pistons therein, a crank connected with said pistons, a manifold associated with said cylinders, valves for controlling the discharge of air into said cylinders, means for directing compressed air into said cylinders when said valves are open, a valve for controlling the discharge of air from said manifold, and means for adjusting said valves to convert said apparatus into a pump or a motor.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signa ture in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY W. HAMILTON.

Witnesses:

JEAN R. ENYART, J. A. WALSH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

